Volkswagen T-CROSS VS Nissan X-Trail
Volkswagen T-CROSS
Likes
- Lots of features for not much money
- Easy and fun to drive
- Spacious and practical for the class
Dislikes
- A hybrid version is needed
- Some rivals start at a lower price
- Some turbo lag in stop-start traffic
Nissan X-Trail
Likes
- Refinement
- Value
- Safety
Dislikes
- Fuel efficiency could be better
- Ownership package off the pace
- Minimal boot space with seven seats up
Summary
Volkswagen T-CROSS
The Volkswagen T-Cross is the smallest SUV in the brand’s entire range, but it’s incredibly practical, great to drive and has an excellent level of safety.
It’s just been updated with some new features and it’s probably more affordable than you think.Â
So if you are thinking of a Mazda CX-3 or a Toyota Yaris Cross, then put the T-Cross on your list to check out, too.Â
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| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 1.0L turbo |
| Fuel Type | — |
| Fuel Efficiency | 5.6L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Nissan X-Trail
Launching an investigation into the Australian mid-size SUV market is like opening an automotive can of worms.
Around 20 mainstream offerings makes it one of the most popular and hotly contested segments in the local new-car market.
Think Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5, Subaru Forester and the category-leading Toyota RAV4. Not to mention the subject of this review, the long-established Nissan X-Trail.Â
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And this time around we’re looking at the X-Trail N-Trek, which sits in the middle of a five-tier X-Trail line-up, in AWD seven-seat form which increases versatility while narrowing the competitive field somewhat.Â
We spent a week putting it through its urban paces.Â
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 2.5L |
| Fuel Type | — |
| Fuel Efficiency | 7.8L/100km |
| Seating | 7 seats |
Verdict
Volkswagen T-CROSS8/10
There are so many new little SUVs out there and it might be easy to think they’re all the same - a tiny cheap SUV is just a tiny cheap SUV. But I’m convinced the Volkswagen T-Cross isn’t like the others.
Yes, it’s tiny and relatively cheap, but it can do more than most of the others from the storage and space it offers to the value-for-money and its level of refinement. Then there’s the way it drives - which can’t in my books be matched by any of its rivals. Â
The sweet spot in the range is the entry grade Life. At $35K drive-away the value is best and with no difference in engines between the grades there are no huge reasons to step up higher in the range unless you have the money.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.
Nissan X-Trail8/10
Over four generations Nissan has fine-tuned the X-Trail into an impressively refined and practical option for an urban family; that practicality further extended by inclusion of two occasional seats in the third row of this N-Trek version. The value equation is also strong and safety is top-shelf.
That said, efficiency is far from class-leading and the ownership proposition is off the category pace. But this even-seater’s overall quality still shines through.Â
If you’re in the midst of the mid-size SUV market vortex and want seven seats rather than five make sure this car’s on your investigation list.
Design
Volkswagen T-CROSS
The T-Cross is Volkswagen’s smallest SUV at 4.1m long and even though it’s closely related to the little Polo hatchback it looks more like a mini version of the Tiguan. Â
It might be tiny and relatively affordable but it has Volkswagen’s premium looks and sharp styling, with creases in the panels so crisp it looks like somebody just ironed it.
This update has brought new front and rear bumper designs, and new styling to the LED running lights and tail-lights. That’s typically how car companies do exterior design updates, inside the styling changes are pretty minimal, too.
There’s new dashboard design and new media screen, but again the design and quality feels refined and high quality, which I can't say goes for a lot of this car's rivals.
The entry-grade Life misses out on the cross design tail-lights of the Style and R-Line, and gets hubcaps rather than alloy wheels like the other two grades.
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Nissan X-Trail
Busy but interesting is a description you might apply to a mad rocket scientist or rock ‘n’ roll roadie. But it’s also apt when looking at the Nissan X-Trail’s exterior design.
Long, angular head and front fog lights sitting either side of a large grille and above multiple air intakes set the tone at the front with a similar mix of accentuated tail-lights and jagged shapes at the rear.
There’s enough distinctive character there to identify the X-Trail as a contemporary Nissan and I for one like the look of it, especially in our test example’s ‘Ceramic Grey’ finish.
For car-spotters, the N-Trek is distinguished by specific 18-inch (mainly black) alloys, a unique front and rear bumper treatment and a blacked-out grille as well as a black finish on the door handles, mirror covers and roof rails.
This third-generation X-Trail arrived less than two years ago and the interior remains classy and restrained, Nissan so far resisting the temptation to join media and instrument displays into the increasingly common single array.
The sweeping multi-level dash is fuss-free and the muted, mainly grey and black colour palette is calming yet bright enough to avoid crossing the line into sombre. Â
Its layout is simple and ergonomically efficient with details like manual dials for audio and heating/ventilation control a plus.
And it’s the things you don’t regularly notice that are worth calling out. The electric handbrake is near silent on application; not always the case in recently released rivals. The rear windscreen wiper motor is also quiet; again, something you can’t take for granted these days. And the quality of the materials across the interior is a cut above those most often used by ‘challenger’ brands.
I could go on, but you get the idea. Lots of small ‘one per cent’ things that may seem minor on their own but add up to make a noticeable difference overall.
Practicality
Volkswagen T-CROSS
You really should take a look at my video to get an idea of how good space and storage is in the T-Cross. I’m tall at 189cm but I can drive with plenty of elbow room and legroom. The front seats also have really long bases which offer great under-thigh support, too.
Legroom in the back is great for the class and I can sit behind my driving position without my knees touching the seatback, while headroom is excellent, too. The second row also slides on rails to increase the boot side which is enormous for the class at 455L.
The second row doors also have large apertures making entry and exit easier.
Cabin storage is great with giant door pockets in the front and back, a wireless phone charger with four USB-C ports (two in the front and two in the second row).
Nissan X-Trail
At just under 4.7m long, a fraction over 1.8m wide and a bit more than 1.7m tall, the current Nissan X-Trail is a large mid-size SUV.
That allows for a generous amount of space up front with more than enough breathing room between the driver and co-pilot.
Storage is pretty handy, too, with a decent size lidded ‘butterfly door’ box between the seats (which doubles as a centre armrest), two cupholders in the centre console, a lower level tray underneath, door bins with space for large bottles and a decent glove box.
Move to the second row and at 183cm tall I have plenty of headroom and legroom, with the latter variable thanks to the seat’s ability to slide and open up more room for the two third-row occupants if required.
Again, there are bins in the doors with a cavity able to accommodate large-ish bottles, two cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest and map pockets on the front seat backs, while adjustable ventilation gets a big thumbs up.
Three full-size adults across the second-row seat is a recipe for discomfort but two grown-ups or a trio of up to mid-teenage kids will be fine and the rear doors deserve a big shout out.Â
First, they open out to 90 degrees which makes getting in and out of there s-o-o much easier and second, pull-up sunshades are always a welcome addition.
The third row is a kids-only zone, but the flexibility those two spots offer is significant and Nissan’s provision of big outer armrests with storage and drink holders built in is a thoughtful touch.
Connectivity and power options run to USB-A and -C ports (for streaming and charging) plus a 12-volt socket and wireless device charging pad in the front. There’s an identical pair of (charge only) USBs in the centre row and another 12-volt outlet in the boot.Â
Speaking of which, with all seats up the seven-seat X-Trail’s boot capacity shrinks to that of an oversize handbag (realistically, two or three soft bags), but with the 50/50 split third row folded down you’re provided with 465 litres of volume (to the roof) which is enough to easily swallow the three-piece CarsGuide suitcase set. And the 40/20/40 split second row’s sliding ability again allows you to play with the space available.
Worth noting a space-saver spare is provided (a much better option than a ‘roll of the dice’ repair/inflator kit) and maximum braked trailer towing capacity is a handy 2000kg (750kg unbraked).
Price and features
Volkswagen T-CROSS
There are three grades in the T-Cross line up, the entry level Life which lists for $33,990, the Style for $37,490 and at the top of the range is the R-Line for $40,990.
At the time of the launch of this updated T-Cross, Volkswagen was doing drive-away pricing of $34,990 for the Life, $39,990 for the Style and $43,990 for the R-Line.
Compared to rivals like the Mazda CX-3 and Toyota Yaris Cross, a drive-away price of $35K for the Life is excellent and $40K for the Style is also a good deal, especially when you look at the healthy standard features list. Â
Coming standard on the Life are LED headlights, black roof rails and power folding mirrors, there’s a leather steering wheel, a digital driver display (which is new, too), there’s an 8.0-inch media screen, wireless phone charging, air con, digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Stepping up into the Style grade adds 17-inch alloys wheels, matrix LED headlights - those are new - chrome-look roof rails, an LED grille strip, proximity unlocking, dual-zone climate control, sat nav, and a new, larger digital driver display. The Style also gets the fancy 'cross' LED tail-lights like the R-Line grade above it.
The R-line is a new model sitting at the top of the line-up and it comes with sporty R-Line exterior styling plus 18-inch alloy wheels and dark tinted rear windows. Inside there’s R-line interior styling, 'Drive Modes' and a Beats sound system.
Nissan X-Trail
At $50,390, before on-road costs, other similarly sized and specified three-row rivals to the X-Trail N-Trek include the recently released Tiggo 8 Pro Max Ultimate AWD ($47,990 drive-away) as well as the Mitsubishi Outlander and VW’s Tiguan Allspace.
The N-Trek’s $50K price tag neatly dissects the Outlander 7 seat AWD Aspire ($47,340) and Exceed ($52,640) grades and splits the Tiguan Allspace 132TSI Life ($47,990) and 162TSI Elegance ($57,090) models.
As well as the safety and performance tech covered later in this review, the X-Trail N-Trek’s standard equipment list features dual-zone climate-control, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen display, a 10.8-inch head-up display, built-in sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay (and wired Android Auto), keyless entry and start and six-speaker audio (with digital radio).
There’s also a ‘leather-accented’ steering wheel, a 10-way power adjustable driver seat (manual-adjust front passenger seat), heated front seats, synthetic leather trim,18-inch alloys, auto rain-sensing wipers, auto LED headlights (all other exterior lights are also LED), power-folding heated exterior mirrors, rear privacy glass and roof rails.
That’s a solid basket of fruit for the money in this part of the market.
Under the bonnet
Volkswagen T-CROSS
The T-Cross has a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine which sounds tiny and it is, but it's turbo-charged and the 85kW/200Nm it produces is plenty of grunt to move this little SUV which at just under 1.3 tonnes is relatively light.Â
All grades in the T-Cross line-up have this same engine and there’s no high-performance variant, although the R-Line has selectable drive modes. Every T-Cross is front-wheel drive with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission.Â
This three-cylinder is a mighty little beastie with a growly tone to it. There is some turbo lag during stop-start city driving, but it’s so eager to play that if it was a dog it’d be a Jack Russell with every intention to chase anything it sees but no idea how small it is.
Nissan X-Trail
The X-Trail N-Trek is powered by a 2.5-litre, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder petrol engine developing 135kW at 6000rpm and 244Nm at 3600rpm. Not a turbo in sight, which is increasingly rare as emissions standards for internal-combustion engine cars continue to tighten.
That said, the X-Trail’s hugely popular corporate sibling, the Mitsubishi Outlander (they share the same chassis platform) has the identical engine residing under its bonnet.
The all-alloy unit features direct-injection and electronically-controlled variable valve timing to produce outputs in the same ballpark as other category favourites like the Kia Sportage 1.6 turbo (132kW/265Nm) and Mazda CX-5 2.5 (140kW/252Nm). But the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid AWD steps ahead on power at 163kW.
Power is transferred to all four wheels via a CVT auto with a ‘Drive and Terrain Mode Selector’ offering ‘Auto’, ‘Eco’, ‘Sport’, ‘Snow’ and ‘Off-Road’ modes.
The AWD system is on-demand with steering angle, yaw rate and G-force sensors feeding into an electronically controlled coupling ahead of the rear differential able to adjust torque distribution between the front and rear axles from 100:0 to 50:50 on the fly.
Efficiency
Volkswagen T-CROSS
Smaller engines use less fuel than larger ones and the 1.0-litre three-cylinder in the T-Cross is little and Volkswagen says over a combination of open and urban roads it uses 5.6L/100km.
That’s fuel efficient but these days larger SUVs with hybrid systems are achieving the same low consumption. Toyota’s Yaris Cross is available with a hybrid system and will use about 3.8L/100km.
Volkswagen doesn’t have a hybrid version of the T-Cross, but it should, especially given these little cars will spend more time in urban environments where fuel consumption will generally be higher.
That said, most tiny SUVs don’t have hybrid systems so that makes the Yaris Cross exceptional while the T-Cross is about average.
Nissan X-Trail
Nissan’s official combined cycle fuel-economy figure for the X-Trail N-Trek is 7.8L/100km, the 2.5-litre four emitting 183g/km of CO2 in the process.
That number’s in line with other non-hybrid competitors but some way off the Toyota RAV4’s 4.8L/100km.
Over a week covering mainly urban and suburban driving as well as some freeway running we recorded an average of 9.9L/100km, measured at the pump, while the on-board computer coughed up a more optimistic 9.1L/100km.
That’s starting to get up there for the class although the result’s balanced somewhat by the X-Trail’s ability to run happily on 91 RON ‘standard’ unleaded.
You’ll need 55 litres of it to fill the tank which translates to a theoretical range of around 700km and roughly 550km using our real-world number.
Driving
Volkswagen T-CROSS
Quite possibly the best little SUV to drive for this price and size, the only drawback is that there’s a touch of lag in the time it takes the power to arrive at low speeds in stop-start traffic, but that can be remedied by putting the transmission in 'Sport' mode.
The steering is light and accurate, the visibility is excellent thanks to the big windows and raised ride height, the pedal feel under your feet is great and the brakes are responsive.
The car feels stable, planted and secure whether it's on a motorway, or a winding country road, while the little 1.0-litre engine is a champion that keeps punching with a throaty growl that matches its enthusiasm.
The seven-speed transmission is superb and changes gears fast, while the paddle shifter lets you take control to keep the revs high.
These little SUVs aren't sports cars but some are so underwhelming to drive it feels like performance was never thought about while developing the vehicle.
But the T-Cross made me grin until my face hurt on the steep winding hairpin filled roads we tested it on at its launch.Â
Nissan X-Trail
The best way to describe driving the X-Trail N-Trek is stress-free. It’s quiet, comfortable and composed with enough oomph for the cut and thrust of urban driving as well as the occasional foray onto the highway.
Maximum pulling power arrives at 3600rpm, which is higher than the small-capacity turbo SUVs the X-Trail most often competes with. But the pay off is crisp throttle response and you’re never found wanting for performance.
Drive goes to all four wheels via a ’shift-by-wire’ continuously variable transmission (CVT). By design CVTs cause the engine to hunt up and down the rev range, searching for the optimal gearing compromise between power and efficiency. But the CVT ’droning’ syndrome that characteristic can generate isn’t a noticeable factor in the X-Trail.
The strut front, multi-link rear suspension delivers smooth ride comfort helped in no small part by the standard 235/60x18 Bridgestone Potenza Sport A/S tyre’s cushy 60-series sidewall profile.
That rubber plays a part in the car’s modest road noise with wind noise on the freeway also low for a relatively upright SUV. The X-Trail also steers nicely with well-weighted assistance and good road feel.
We didn’t head off-road for this family review but the N-Trek’s variable AWD capability gives it the ability to confidently deal with loose or slippery unsealed surfaces.
An 11.1m turning circle is nice and tight, which, in concert with a reversing camera, 360-degree camera view and front and rear proximity sensors makes parking a straight-forward exercise.
Brakes are discs all around (ventilated at the front) and the pedal is agreeably progressive.
In fact, that kind of refinement is a hallmark of the way this car operates. Recently arrived competitors can be noticeably abrupt when it comes to brake, throttle and steering inputs.
Not so here. As mentioned in the Design section, these one per cent positive qualities lift the X-Trail above the norm.
Safety
Volkswagen T-CROSS
The T-Cross was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating in 2019. What is truly great is that on every grade you’ve got AEB, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, rear cross-traffic alert, manoeuvre braking, plus front and rear and parking sensors.Â
For child seats there are three top tether anchor points and two ISOFIX points in the second row.
A space saver spare wheel can be found under the boot floor.
Nissan X-Trail
The current Nissan X-Trail received a maximum five-star ANCAP assessment from testing in 2022 and it’s on the pace relative to others in the category.
Active (crash avoidance) tech is comprehensive including AEB with car, pedestrian and cyclist detection (operational from 5.0-130km/h for car detection), rear cross-traffic alert and rear AEB, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and lane keeping, an ‘Around View’ 360-degree camera view, blind-spot monitoring, tyre pressure monitoring and driver fatigue detection.
If an impact is unavoidable, there are seven airbags onboard, including side curtains (importantly, covering all three rows) and a front centre bag to minimise head clash injuries in a side-on crash.
There are three top tether points and two ISOFIX anchors for child seats/baby capsules across the second row seat. There are no top tether points on the third row.
Ownership
Volkswagen T-CROSS
The T-Cross is covered by Volkswagen’s five-year unlimited kilometre warranty.
Servicing is recommended every 15,000km or yearly and while there’s no capped price servicing you can buy a five-year plan for $2800, which equates to $560 per workshop visit.
Nissan X-Trail
Nissan covers the X-Trail with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is the norm in the mainstream market. That said, the likes of GWM, Kia and MG are at seven years, unlimited-km with Mitsubishi offering conditional 10-year, 200,000km cover. Roadside Assist is included for five years.
The main service interval is 12 months/10,000km which is behind the more common 12 months/15,000km period, although pre-paid maintenance is available offering an approximate 10 per cent saving over (still capped-price) pay-as-you-go.
Pre-payment also means you can fold the cost of maintenance into the financing of the car (if you’re going that way).
For the X-Trail AWD, pre-paid servicing comes in at $2092 for five services within five years ($418.40 per workshop visit) compared to $2324 for individual capped-price services ($464.80 per visit).Â
There’s that 10 per cent saving but it’s still relatively pricey when you consider the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid costs $260 per service.